The Things We Want
by Namikazelil
Summary: NarutoXfma crossover. Want to know more? Then Please read! and PLEASE REVIEW! full summary inside. and Please, NO FLAMES!
1. Prologue

Everyone wants things they can't have. Orochimaru wants eternal life, Naruto wants Sasuke to come back to Konoha, and Ed just wants things to go back to the way they used to be. We can't all have what we want, but what if Orochi finds a way to get his? fmaXNaruto

HI! i've had this idea for a while and i just thought, "why not?" i just wanted to see a fanfic that was fmaXNaruto that didn't involve harry potter, not that i don't love HP. so ya...here i go!!! Enjoy!

P.S. spoilers for both Naruto and FMA

Disclaimer: I don't own FMA or Naruto

Eternal Life. One of life's greatest sought after abilities. But does 'eternal life' really exist? Can one really achieve it? Or have the stories been nothing more than whispers in the dark? This is exactly what the snake king, Orochimaru pondered as he sat in his dank and dusty hideaway. He would very soon be needing to transfer into Sasuke's body if he wanted to continue living. His soul transfer technique. He prided himself on it, but it was, he acknowledged; far from the eternal life he sought. And now that he had finally acquired Uchiha it seemed an impossibly troublesome task to have to switch bodies in another three years. He was sure that after having Sasuke's sharingan, no body would ever be able to satisfy him. No he needed the Uchiha forever. But the only way to make that possible would be to discover a new way to achieve eternal life. Even as he sat in his high backed chair, Kabuto was desperately searching for the answer to his lord's question, for Orochimaru had assigned him the task almost a whole month ago. He had been meeting with his various sources, and furtively searching through every book he could find on the matter. To say that Kabuto was nervous was putting it lightly. Orochimaru was not a patient man, and Kabuto was sure that his patience was indeed wearing thin.

"This wouldn't be such a problem if Sasuke was stronger. " Orochi lamented. "This is ruining my plan!" it was true. the issue of Sasuke's strength completely destroyed the diabolical plan orochimaru had set forth. Not that he wasn't strong, he could definitely fuck you up, he just wasn't at the level Orochimaru had anticipated. But, you see, Sasuke was never Orochimaru's true target. It was Itachi. His original plan had been to take Sasuke's body and use it to defeat Itachi, only then would he be able to have the strongest of the Uchiha under his control, or so he thought. It may have been kept from him for a long time, but Orochimaru was no fool. The legendary Uchiha Madara was alive. Cofounder of Konoha Village, and a fellow deserter of said village, he was probably the strongest ninja ever, at the present at least. He was sure that even the great Madara might have had a tough time fighting Namikaze Minato, aka the Yondaime Hokage. And how is it that he was able to live for so long when he should have died at the Valley of the End so many years before? The eternal mangekyo. The strongest form of the sharingan. And the only way to achieve it, to take the eyes of ones brother. And that was exactly why he needed Sasuke. His plan was as follows: to train Sasuke to be strong enough to defeat Itachi, take control of Sasuke and kill Itachi, take Itachi's eyes, train with his newly acquired eternal mangekyo, and when he was ready, defeat madara and take control of his body. With madara and his wide arsenal of jutsu no one would be able to defeat him, and he could finally extract his revenge on Konoha. But Sasuke wasn't ready for that yet! And he was sure that three years wouldn't be enough to fulfill his plan. Therefore he needed to stay in Sasuke's body for more than three years, to get stronger, but...

"Ahhh!!" Orochimaru bellowed out in anger. "How? How can I do it?" at that instant Kabuto burst through the door, looking frazzled and out of breath.

"Orochimaru-sama."

"What?!" he snarled, not in the mood, and quite honestly contemplating whether to kill him or not.

"I think I have it! I've discovered a way for you to achieve eternal life!" scratch that, he loved the kid right about now.

"Well?" he asked trying not to sound to eager.

"Through something called the Philosophers stone. The stone is said to have extraordinary powers. It can grant eternal life, or even bring someone back from the dead."

"And where can this stone be found?"

"It was said to have last been created far to the west of here, in a place called Xerxes. Though the whole city disappeared the same night it was created."

"Xerxes...yes that is very far to the west of here...and east of Ametris...yes if the stone exists someone in Ametris will know of it. You've done well Kabuto." the Philosophers stone..._you will be mine. _He thought sinisterly as he let out a chilling laugh.

Yay! so heres the prologue!! i really hope u liked it! and so as for the fma, it is mainly going to be manga based, but it might have a few brief references to the anime, like just a small mix...maybe though. so i hope u are all caught up!!! but you don't have to worry about that yet, the next chapter is still naruto. well anyway,

PLEASE REVIEW!!!! or i'll be really sad... T_T lol

tata 4 now!

~L


	2. Chapter 1

yay!! so heres the next chapter!!! Now i gotta say, People i need reviews!!! wheres my motivation people?? I need reviews! they are my life lol. Like edward says, they're "My own personal brand of heroine." lol and ya elric would never say that, it was edward cullen. Oh and also, it came to my attention that i made a mistake in the last chapter, it is actually Xerxes not Xenotime, but for the sake of this story xerxes will be a city and not a country. THANK YOU HALF-HUMAN-HUMUNCULI for that!!! hah so anyway, the next chapter!!

disclaimer: I don't own FMA or Naruto

P.S. Spoilers for both FMA and Naruto

_Oh God why me? _

Was Tsunade's only thought as she looked upon the enormous mountain of paperwork that littered her desk.

"You look like you could use a drink." sluggishly looking away from her work she turned to see non-other than the toad sage, Jiriaya, sitting in the window grinning at her.

"What do you want Jiriaya?"

"I have information for you." Tsunade stiffened as his tone turned serious and all the jest was wiped from his face. She inclined her head and he continued, "I've heard from one of my sources that Orochimaru is searching for a new method of immortality."

"Does that mean he doesn't plan to use..."

"I'm afraid that's not the case. He is searching for a way to stay in Sasuke's body, once he transfers.

"And you know what method he's discovered?"

"Obviously." she glared at him, but he continued nonetheless, "Now just listen before you make any comments okay?" slowly arching one eyebrow, she agreed.

"Fine."

"Orochimaru's going after the Philosophers Stone." she stared at him incredulously.

"You're kidding right?"

"Hey you promised!" Jiriaya exclaimed with mock hurt in his voice.

"Jiriaya, the Philosophers Stone? It's a myth! A legend. It doesn't really exist."

"well maybe not, but if Orochimaru is putting stock on the idea, then maybe its real."

"He's obviously desperate. I wouldn't give it much thought."

"You also didn't give much thought to Akatsuki when I first told you about them, and they're obviously as real as you and me. Are you really going to risk letting Orochimaru get his hands on the stone if it exists?" turning away from him she stared out at the village she had vowed to protect and thought.

_Damn, he's got a point. Ah I hate it when Jiriayas right._

With a sigh she returned her attention to him.

"I'll send team Kakashi right away." Jiriaya grinned in triumph and handed her a folder with all the info they would need for the mission. As he turned to leave she called out to him, "And where do you think you're going?"

"Well I'm the best guy you have when it comes to knowing what's going on, I have to keep you informed now don't I?" and with that he disappeared.

"Shizune!!" she yelled and within moments her loyal apprentice ran in.

"Tsunade-sama?"

"I want team Kakashi and Yamato in my office immediately."

"Hai Hokage-sama." as she exited the room Tsunade could think of only one thing.

"I really do need a drink."

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"Oww! Sakura-chan!"

"God, Naruto stop whining will you? I'm almost done." chided Sakura as she removed the cast on Naruto's right arm, and not very gently I might add. "There, all done."

"Finally! That thing was annoying! I can get back to training now right? I gotta perfect the Futon Rasen-Shurikan!"

"Not so fast baka. I don't want you training for at least another week, and you definitely can not use that jutsu again."

"Eh? but Sakura-chan, why not?"

"Naruto that jutsu is extremely dangerous, not only to your enemies, but on you too. After using it for only three consecutive tries it nearly destroyed the chakra system in your right arm! If you use it too much you'll really mess up that arm of yours, then what kind of Hokage would you be if you couldn't fight or use jutsu with your right arm? Hm?" she asked, giving him a wry smile at the last part

"Wow, its that bad?" she nodded.

"Don't ever use that jutsu again unless is life or death. It should be your absolutely last resort."

"Eh fine. But then that was a total waste of training!! Wait. Speaking of training, what do you mean I can't train for at least another week? I'm fine!" as he punched the air to 'make his point,' he felt a searing pain in his arm. "Oww!" he yelled as he quickly pulled his arm down.

"Baka," she muttered, "I told you."

"Hehe," he gave a guilty chuckle as he rubbed the back of his head with his left hand.

_POOF_

Both shinobi turned to look at the now present Anbu member in the room.

"Hokage-sama wishes to see you both in her office immediately" they nodded and he shun-shined away.

"What do you think Baa-chan wants?" Sakura shrugged.

"How should I know?"

"Well lets go." with a nod they left the hospital examination room and headed for Hokage tower, wondering what the heck Tsunade had in store for them.

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Tsunade sat in her desk drumming her fingers against the wood, waiting impatiently for the last arrivals. Staring back at her were Yamato, Sai, and Kakashi, who was reading his book. Three minutes later Sakura and Naruto walked in.

"Gomen Tsunade-sama, I was giving Naruto his check up and removing his cast."

"Its alright Sakura. Now I gathered you all here because I have a very important S class mission for you." at the mention of s class everyone payed even closer attention, even Kakashi had the courtesy to put his book away. "Jiriaya has gathered that Orochimaru is searching for a new method of immortality." Naruto and Sakura gasped. Sakura was about to say something but was cut off by Naruto.

"Wait! So does that mean he isn't going to take Sasuke's body anymore?!?"

"I'm afraid not Naruto. It seems that he is looking for a way to permanently stay in Sasuke's body, so he doesn't have to switch after three years." Naruto turned grave, but for once remained silent. Satisfied that she wasn't going to be interrupted, Tsunade continued. "You've all heard of the Philosophers Stone?" they nodded. "Orochimaru is searching for the stone since it is believed to grant eternal life. Your mission: you will travel farther west than you've ever gone before, to the country of Ametris and find out all you can about the Philosophers Stone and you will make sure Orochimaru doesn't acquire it. There is also a good chance that Sasuke will be there." directing her next words at Naruto and Sakura, "Your going to have to keep your cool and not let your emotions take you over if you should meet him. It could jeopardize your mission, especially if Orochimaru is also there. Understood?" looking at her feet as she said it, Sakura acquiesced,

"Hai Tsunade-sama."

"Naruto?" he looked away and hesitated before he answered her.

"I can't promise you anything Baa-chan, but I'll try." she nodded and handed Kakashi the mission file.

"You will be gone for an indefinite period of time so i suggest you pack accordingly. Leave as soon as possible. Understood?"

"Hai." they all responded. She looked at them all in turn, her gaze lingering on the boy she considered to be her grandson, her successor.

"Dismissed!" and with that they disappeared.

_Be careful Naruto, all of you, be careful...._

So what did you think??? huh? huh? Please tell me in a review!!!! oh and fear not my FMA fans! the next chapter is for you!! 100% FMA!!!! lol

so PLEASE REVIEW!!!!

~L


	3. Chapter 2

Hey you guys here it is the 1st all FMA chapter!!!!!! whooo!! lol so I'm thinking the next one will be mostly FMA as well but since I'm planning on making it really long ill stick some Naruto into the end just to make it fair!! after that ill start mixing the two into chapters so its not all one or the other. Sounds good? cool. oh and I'm going to try and update one more time before the break is over because i won't be able to update the whole month of January due to the fact that i have finals and a whole bunch of other crap thats going to keep me busy. so if i don't update again before break is up don't expect an update till February. Well thats all i have to say, without further adu, the chapter!!!!

Edward Elric lay staring up at the ceiling in the room he and his brother, Al, were currently sharing. It wasn't much since it was one of those military owned hotels, but it was free for State Alchemists and the people there couldn't care less what you were doing, which suited Ed just fine. He'd been lying there for about two hours now but he just couldn't go to sleep, the day's events still fresh in his mind. Al had gone to drop off the bean girl and her weird cat at the Doc's house so Ed was devoid of any distractions. And so his thoughts couldn't help but wander back to all that had happened in the past few hours, try as he might to make it otherwise. It disturbed him to know just how much things had changed.

_How could the corruption in the military stretch that far?_

And then there was that bastard the Homunculi called "Father."

_How could he use Alchemy without a transmutation circle? Well, _he thought, _me, Al, and sensei can use Alchemy without a circle but he didn't even have to clap his hands or anything, he didn't even have to move!!_

And then Lin. He just couldn't believe what had become of Lin, or well Greed now.

_And just when I'd started to like the bastard! There may still be hope for him, I know he's still in there, but for now at least, he's our enemy. Ugh! We have too many, i swear people don't like us or something._

He let out a small chuckle but sobered up the moment he thought of Winry. King Bradley, aka the Homunculus Wrath, was hanging the girl's life over him like blackmail. It seemed like the colonel and him were in the same boat when it came to the positions they held under the Fuhrer's good graces. He couldn't believe the Homunculi would stoop so low as to threaten Winry, he mentally slapped himself for thinking that, how could the Homunculi not stoop that low, it was in their nature to be evil and conniving.

_But Winry..._

He had to stop himself from doting too much on thoughts of her, else he might reveal to himself the depth of his feelings for her. He was totally and completely in denial.

"Brother?" boy did that scare the shit out of him. Edward must have jumped about 10 ft. in the air, a feat to make even an Olympic high jumper envious, only to land in a crumpled blonde heap on the floor. He'd been so preoccupied with his musings he didn't even hear Al enter the room, which was saying something given that he was a seven foot tall suit of armor. "Brother! Are you okay?!" Al screamed worriedly as he ran towards Ed. Looking up groggily Ed started at Al not quite comprehending.

_Al?_

"Al! You're back!!" relief radiated from his voice as he silently thanked luck for giving him a reprieve from his thoughts.

"Uhh...brother are you okay? Since when are you so happy to see me?"

"What are you talking about Al? I'm always happy to see you!" he definitely wasn't going to let his distraction get away now.

"Okay sure. I actually thought you'd be asleep by now."

"Nah, I couldn't sleep. How's the bean girl?"

"The Doc says she'll be fine. She's just suffering from exhaustion, she'll be fine once she gets some rest."

"Mh. And Lan Fan?" Al hesitated here, which didn't go unnoticed by Ed.

"She's recuperating, but. She didn't take the news very well. She blames herself for what happened to Lin, for not being there. She's going to get automail. She plans to finish her recuperation in only six months. She plans to best you." Ed looked pensive for a second before nodding and grinning.

"Well i wish her luck. That automail hurts like a freakin' mother." This prompted an involuntary laugh from Al which caused Ed to start laughing and soon enough they were both rolling around on the floor, laughing in a way they hadn't since they were kids. "Aww man..." Ed sighed as he propped himself against the bed and wiped the tears from his eyes, Al stayed spread out across the floor.

"Ha we haven't laughed like that in years. What do you think caused it?"

"I don't know, maybe we were just high." They had to pause for another few minutes as another bout of giggles overwhelmed them, due to Ed's inappropriate comment. Once that too had passed, they stayed where they sat, allowing themselves to regain their composure and their sanity.

"Brother, you know we have to talk to the Colonel. We need to figure out our next move."

"Ya I know, but its not going to be easy talking to him, the Homunculi are watching us both. I mean they even moved all of Mustang's subordinates to different positions."

"So how are we going to talk to him then?" Ed was thoughtful for a moment and then an evil grin spread across his face.

"I think I know how. I have a plan."

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Roy Mustang sat in his office utterly bored. He couldn't believe how much he relied on his subordinates for entertainment. Plus life seemed so bleak without the beautiful Hawkeye around. And so when the phone rang, it took all he had not to scream out in relief, but of course being roy, he was completely composed when he answered.

"Roy Mustang speaking."

"Hello Mr. Mustang, " he swore he could hear someone snickering in the background.

"Hello, who is this?"

"Why you don't remember me? It's...Edwina, we met on the train, on the way to Central." There was a pause in which it seemed the voice was trying not to laugh their ass off. Finally, "You remember now, don't you Mr. Mustang?" indeed Roy understood.

"Ah yes how could i forget the lovely Miss Edwina? How may I help you?"

"Well we had such a wonderful time on the train together, and then after at the rose garden, I was wondering if you wanted to recreate the evenings."

_So thats it_

"Well I'd be lying if i said I hadn't thought about it. Just name the place and I'm there babe."

"I want to meet at the rose garden again. Our last visit was filled with so much havoc that it was tragic." It took Roy a second to realize the meeting place and when he did it filled him with dread.

"Are you sure that you want to go back there? I could take you anywhere."

"I'm sure you could Mr. Mustang, but I'd really like to go back there, i think it's necessary to figure out where our relationship is going, don't you?"

"I agree Miss Edwina. Very well, I'll meet you there tomorrow at eight."

"I'm looking forward to it." then a small click was heard as the phone was hung up, Mustang sighed and thought,

_That gangster better be planning to pay me back..._

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"Stupid arrogant colonel." Ed mused as he hung up the phone.

"Well is he meeting us or not?" Al asked anxiously.

"Of course he is Al. He understood the message. Although I really want to take him down a notch! The nerve of him acting so arrogant, I can't believe he talks to women like that!" Al sweat dropped.

"Brother, you know he knew you weren't a woman."

"Ya but still! Sheesh." Al could only shake his head, slightly amused, as he headed back to the hotel, Ed still grumbling, followed.

_I wonder what tomorrow will be like..._

Thought Al as they walked down the dimly lit street.

Yay so what did you think about my first FMA chapter? What do you think the meeting place is? PLease tell me your guesses in a review! BTW I'm sorry if that part sucked, I'm not very good at coming up with encoded messages and stuff like that but i hope that it was good. Also what do you think i write better, so far? FMA or Naruto? PLEASE TELL ME IN A REVIEW PEOPLE I NEED REVIEWS THEY'RE MY MOTIVATION! HAHA THANK YOU!!!

~L


	4. Chapter 3

OK hi everybody!! First off, IM SOOOOOOOOOOO SORRY!!!! Sorry you guys, I said February and its May…hahaha oops…lol Well I could give you my looong list of excuses, some of them actually viable, but I'll spare you the winded explanation and let you get right to the chapter!! The longest yet just to award your patience!!!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or FMA

"Al you have got to be kidding me!" Ed yelled in exasperation.

"Oh come on brother, it'll make your plan more authentic! And it'll make it harder for the Homunculi to figure out your plan if they somehow managed to find out about it."

"But do I really have to dress up like a girl?"

"Yes! The Homunculi will never expect it. They'll think you don't have the guts to do it!"

"That's because I don't"

"Oh come on, you have to meet the Colonel in 2 hours so you better get ready. Plus I already took the trouble of borrowing these clothes from Lieutenant Hawkeye," after shooting Al a glare that could probably kill, Ed grabbed the clothes and proceeded to put them on, not without many a huff and a gruff, I might add. After a few failed attempts, Ed was fully clothed in a red shin length dress, knee high boots, and a black coat with matching black gloves.

"There I'm ready," Al looked him over,

"Nah, I can still tell you're a guy. Let your hair down and brush it a bit,"

With another glare Ed obeyed, but no sooner had the brush entered his hair than it refused to move. Ed blanched for a moment before looking sheepish. Al could only sweat drop.

"Brother, when was the last time you brushed your hair?"

"Umm, I don't know."

"Ok lets get to work."

It took a whole hour, but finally Ed's hair was combed out and presentable.

"Here put this hat on."

After reexamining Ed, Al actually had to admit,

"You know, you actually could pass for a girl." Ed rolled his eyes,

"Gee thanks. Oh crap!" Ed exclaimed as he looked at the clock. He was supposed to meet the Colonel in 20 minutes. "Come on Al let's go."

"I'm not going brother."

"Huh? Why not?"

"Well it would obviously blow your cover if you were seen with me. I can't exactly wear a disguise, but you better tell me everything they say, ok?" Ed grinned.

"You got it Al!" and with that he jumped out the window and inconspicuously made his way to the street, in an attempt to make it seem as though he hadn't come out of that hotel. As Ed disappeared from view Al thought of something.

"So what should I do in the mean time?" he asked to no one in particular.

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As Ed made his way down the street he decided he should go over exactly what he was going to say to the Colonel. They needed to talk about what they were going to do immediately and their plans in the long run, what were they going to do about the Homunculi? And then there was the ever present issue of the Philosopher's Stone. They hadn't yet given up hope on finding a new way to create it. There was something that was making it hard for him to think though , it was too noisy…as Ed looked up to try and discern the source of the noise he was horrified to discover that the noise was catcalls. Catcalls directed at HIM!!!

"Hey cutie! Why don't you come hang out with us?" yelled a rather large, bulky man.

"Ya, we'll show you a good time, how bout it toots?" added his smaller friend.

_Oh HELL no,_ thought Ed,

"Who the fuck do you think you're talking to you sick perverts!?! I'm 16 for God's sake!! How old are you guys? 30? You better get the hell out of here before I go over there and kick your asses! And then I'll hand your sorry asses over to the police on account of sexual harassment!!"

Ok, whether it be that Ed can be pretty frightening when he's pissed or that the men were so freaked out to hear a guys voice come out of the 'girl' they were hitting on, I'm not sure, either way they got the hell out of there.

_Serves 'em right,_ thought Ed smugly as he continued on his way, ignoring the shocked looks of the few bystanders on the street. After walking for another 10 minutes Ed arrived at the very large and prestigious Armstrong Manor.

"Yes!" exclaimed Ed, "I beat the Colonel here, and with two minutes to spare!" Having nothing better to do, Ed decided to take a walk among the Armstrong's extensive garden, waiting for whenever the hell Mustang decided to show up

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Roy Mustang could be seen walking rather quickly down the street. He was already 10 minutes late to meet Ed and if he knew that shrimp, he was going to be pissed.

_Oh well,_ though Roy,_ it was so worth it._

Referring to the extremely beautiful florist who bumped into him on his way out of HQ. They had shared a laugh, a small conversation, and phone numbers.

_Damn she was hot,_ he mused, thinking of their date tomorrow night. Finally after 7 more minutes of rushing, the prestigious Armstrong Manor came into view. As Roy began to walk up the drive way, sure Ed was already inside, he spotted a girl, back turned to him, in the rose garden. She was looking up at the sky holding a yellow rose.

_Hm, that must be the major's other sister, the one who rejected Havoc. Well I heard from the guys that she was really cute. Maybe I should take a crack at her, _he contemplated cockily as he walked up to her.

"Hello miss, I couldn't help but notice you here all alone. Maybe I could keep you…" but stopped dead in his tracks when the girl spun around to reveal the enraged form of Ed. "Ahhh!" he couldn't help himself from screaming, who wouldn't be surprised at a turn of events such as that?

"Mustang what the Hell do you think you're doing?! And where the hell have you been?! I've been waiting here for 19 minutes!!"

"Wow fullmetal, I'm surprised you weren't counting the seconds. And you shouldn't be talking! What the hell are YOU doing dressed like a woman?!"

"It was Al's idea, he said it would make the plan more authentic and less suspicious. But forget about that, you're almost 20 minutes late and you were STILL going to stop to flirt? What it wrong with you!?"

"For the sake of this conversation I'm going to bypass that last comment and just agree with Alphonse." Ed huffed but didn't disagree.

"We should go in now, the Major's been waiting. I would have gone in earlier but I didn't want to be alone with him." he shivered at the thought.

"I don't blame you for not wanting to be there by yourself, but why did you have to pick the Major's house in the first place?"

"Because he's the only one we can trust that's accessible right now. General Gruman is in the East HQ, your lackeys have been transferred all over, and lieutenant Hawkeye is serving directly under the Fuhrer. He's the only person who can help us right now. Plus his allegiances aren't known yet so Bradley won't be watching him. We're just going to have to put the fact that he creeps the crap out of us out of the way." Roy sighed knowing full well that ed was right.

"Fine lets just go in." after walking up to the door and knocking they both stood there rather awkwardly waiting for the door to be opened. Finally the door was answered by a small pixy like girl with long blond hair, brilliant green eyes, and the infamous Armstrong curl.

_So this is the Major's other sister._

"Hello may I help you?" she asked sweetly.

_She's adorable! _thought Roy,

"Yes we're here to meet with Major Armstrong."

"Oh you're here to talk to Alex! He's in the library."

"But you know, I'd like to talk to you as well. You really are a beautiful woman." at this she blushed a deep crimson color, "Maybe after I'm done talking to your brother we could OUCH OUCH!!" Ed, having become frustrated and, frankly, fed up with Roy's flirting had roughly grabbed him by the ear, with his automail hand, and began pulling him away from Armstrong's sister.

"I'm sorry but we're in a bit of a hurry, isn't that right SWEETY??" Ed said in a very dramatic and strained voice. "We'll just be going to the library now…" he looked expectantly at her until finally she seemed to understand.

"Oh, down the hall, to the left, 2 doors down."

"Thanks." Ed called behind him as he proceeded to drag Roy down the hall and out of the girl's line of sight. "What the hell is wrong with you? Honestly! Is it a disease? Because I'll believe you if you tell me it's a disease. I just need to know there's a reason for the way you are!" Ed began to scream as soon as they were out of ear shot, meanwhile Roy tried fruitlessly to pry Ed's fingers off his practically bleeding ear. Unfortunately he was no match for automail.

"Ok OK, it's a disease!!!" Ed looked scrutinizingly at Roy.

"You liar." a disbelieving look spread across Roy's face,

"You just said…" however, he was cut off

"Here's the library," Ed stated as he roughly let go of Roy's ear leaving him to meekly rub it.

"I honestly don't know why I put up with you." Roy stated.

"Because I'm an alchemic genius and such great company?" Ed ventured sarcastically. Roy merely smirked as he followed Ed into the library. The library was of course huge and filled with row after row of books stacked to the brim. Books on everything from the history of Ametris to alchemy's most complex theorems. The only library Ed could think of that was larger was the State Alchemist library in central. Ed and Roy wandered from row to row looking for Major Armstrong. Then all of a sudden a booming voice shouted from behind them.

"Welcome Colonel Mustang to the gracious Armstrong Manor!" The sound of Armstrong's voice sent chills up their spines as they awaited his next words without turning. "This manor has been home to Armstrongs for hundreds of years! Oh," he said seeming to just notice an important fact, "were is Edward? And who is this beautiful young woman you have with you?" E's eye twitched violently as he spun around to face Armstrong.

"I am not a woman!!" Ed screeched. Armstrong, however, looked slightly shocked but could not help but chuckle at Ed's deranged expression. Roy merely sighed at the sight.

"Calm down fullmetal." Roy stated calmly while placing a hand on Ed's shoulder. Ed just glared but spoke no more. "Hello Major. I would love to speak with you further about the extensive Armstrong history but we did come here for more pressing matters." Armstrong sobered at Roy's statement and led them over to a table so they could sit and speak more comfortably. Once they were all seated Armstrong spoke.

"So Colonel, Edward, what is it you wished to speak with me about?"

"Well as you know," Roy began, "the Homunculi have infiltrated the military. What you don't know however, is how far this corruption extends. All of the higher ups are in on it."

"All of them?" Armstrong asked in disbelief. Roy nodded and continued.

"Every one of them is in on it. Furthermore, the Fuhrer himself is a Homunculus." at this Armstrong was completely speechless. It was amazing, THE Armstrong had actually been shocked into silence, Ed really couldn't believe it, it was actually quite comical. "and there's more." Armstrong started at this remark.

"How can there possibly be more? How can it be worse?"

"I'm sure Fullmetal here could explain it better than I." Roy responded while motioning towards Ed. Armstrong then turned his attention towards the oldest Elric, and he began.

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Armstrong looked positively astounded by the end of E's tale, even Roy was surprised, having never heard the full account. He had explained to them everything that had happened to him since Gluttony had eaten him, Lin, and Envy.

"Unbelievable!" exclaimed Armstrong, "to think that the leader of the Homunculi is not even human, that he has been controlling the military, that the Fuhrer is only a figure head."

"Exactly," agreed Roy, happy they were finally getting somewhere. "so now you know the extent of our plight. We came to speak with you because we need allies in this troubled time. And because we need to discuss our plan of action."

"Well if you want my suggestion, I would follow their advice. Lay low for a while. Let them think you've given up…"

"How does that fix anything?" Ed asked, annoyed at the major's answer.

"The less trouble they think you'll be the sloppier they're going to get while watching you, that'll give you an opportunity to strike back."

"But I don't want to just sit around and do nothing!"

"Relax Edward, you may not have to." Ed started at Roy quizzically.

"How so?"

"Well," he began, "thanks to Alfonse, the Fuhrer has given the two of you a lot more lee way than he gave me." Ed's eyes brightened in understanding, but Roy continued, "since the two of you have been allowed to continue searching for the Philosophers Stone you'll be able to keep researching. You could find ways to defeat them, weaknesses, and maybe allies. And who knows, if you're lucky and you do get the stone, maybe after Alfonse is back to normal and you have your limbs back, there'll be some left over to stop the Homunculi and this Father bastard." he said while smirking at Ed, and Ed couldn't help but grin back. The Colonel could be a really good guy at times, though he would never admit it.

"That's a good idea," agreed Armstrong, "meanwhile the Colonel and I can plan here. Though we won't be able to meet like this for a while." Roy nodded.

"No, I know it would be too risky to try anything like this anytime soon. But that doesn't mean the Major, Hawkeye, and I can't still come up with an adequate plan of action."

"Wait Hawkeye? She's secretary to the Fuhrer. There's no way you can discuss this stuff near her now!"

"I'm well aware of that Edward, but you don't actually think I'd be careless with this do you? She, along with the rest of my subordinates, though idiotic some of them may be, are all highly trained military officials and have no problem communicating in secret. That and the fact that all of them are completely loyal to me is why, when our plan is set, they will help us succeed." Ed threw a skeptical glance his way but said nothing.

"As for the actual planning," interrupted Armstrong, "I believe it would be best to observe the enemy longer and figure out exactly just how tight your reigns are first before mounting a rebellion." Roy was going to disagree but stopped himself.

_The Major's right, I can't rush this, it will only get us all killed._

"Agreed Major. Thank you for your time. We need to be leaving soon anyway or they might realize I'm gone." Armstrong nodded as they all stood. After bidding each other goodbye and after Ed had escaped a bone crushing hug delivered by the Major, Ed and Roy left the manor. They were silent for a while as they walked down the nearly deserted street, each lost to their own thoughts. Then Ed spoke up.

"Mustang," Roy turned to him, "you better be careful and not slip up because those Homunculi bastards are holding Winry's life over our every move and I will not let us be responsible for her death. I will not be responsible for her death." he said, all without ever taking his eyes off the road in front of him. Roy's eyes softened. He couldn't help but feel for the kid he had come to know so well, and actually care for.

"You don't need to worry about me. Just worry about how you and Al are going to find a new lead on the philosophers stone. I mean it took you like three years just to get close," Roy joked, trying to lighten the mood.

"Hey! You think its easy getting solid info on something the majority of the world thinks doesn't exist?" Roy chuckled,

"Ya and how much did it take for you to find out what you have? Which reminds me, don't get into trouble, for someone whose so short you show up on the radar a lot." and there it was, just the thing Mustang was waiting for. It was a sure fire sign Ed was feeling better. "who are you calling a super chibi midget who's too short to even..." Roy couldn't help but smile as he walked on, he had learned years ago how to tune out Ed's rants, enjoying the peace this night was offering him and doting only on thoughts of beautiful women, a brown eyed blonde in particular.

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"Finally!" exclaimed Naruto as he set his gaze on central. It had taken the shinobi a whole two weeks to arrive in Ametris and an additional 3 days to make it to Central and Naruto was becoming increasingly irritated, and irritating. They had never traveled so long and far for a mission without adequate sleep and everybody was on edge.

"Naruto shut the hell up before I pound your face in. Do you want the whole city to know we're here? Stop shouting!" Sakura, ironically shouted, though she didn't hurt Naruto as she did. The trip had apparently exhausted her so much she didn't have the willpower to hit him unless he really deserved it. Kakashi could only sigh and decided to break it up before Sakura and Naruto started fighting and Naruto was left with many broken bones.

"Ok we're all frustrated and tired, let's just find somewhere to spend the night, I doubt there's anyone around at this time of night who could tell us about the philosophers stone." they all agreed and proceeded to search for a hotel. As they walked they passed a tall man with black hair and a short blonde woman wearing a red dress who they then asked directions from to the closest hotel. After arriving and getting their rooms, Naruto and Sai, Kakashi and Yamato, and Sakura to herself, they settled down all knowing that tomorrow the real mission would begin.

Yay so there it is! The 4th chapter! I hope it was worth the wait! Or at least kinda worth it lol. Btw, sorry if some of the characters seemed a little OOC, I just couldn't help it! It was too much fun writing the scene where Ed drags Roy through Armstrong Manor. Oh speaking of Armstrong manor, did any of you think that would be the meeting place? Or did you not get any hint AT all!! Lol remember how I said at the beginning how I might throw in little anime references, well that was one of them . The date that was filled with 'Havoc' was referring to Havoc's date with Armstrong's little sister in the anime filler. I hope that makes sense, you know the whole, 'to see where our relationship is going??' I'm sorry if it sucked I told you I wasn't good at that stuff. Lol anyway. I hope you liked it, and Next chapter Ed and Naruto officially meet…kinda!! Anyway its going to be cool!! I've already gotten most of it written up and its going to be even longer than this chapter!!! It'll be up next month for sure!! Well, ttyl! Oh and of course, REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

~L


	5. Chapter 4

Hola everyone!!! I'm cutting it close aren't I?? But true to my word the chapter is out in JUNE!!!! I actually uploaded it like a week ago but I've just been too lazy to edit it. Anyway this is the longest chapter so far, they just keep getting longer don't they??? lol I want you guys to tell me if you like them long or if you would prefer shorter chapters, shorter chaps would of course mean faster updates. So please let me know. I have something else I need to tell you but since it might spoil the contents of this chapter I'm going to wait till the end. Anyway enjoy the chapter and sorry for any OCC-ness.

Warning: Possible spoilers for both Naruto and FMA

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or FMA but i do own the two completely unimportant OCs

It was early morning when Naruto awoke, which was strange since he usually woke up late and could sleep through just about anything. The sun was barely starting to make its way over the horizon and the remnants of a star lit night were just fading away. As he sat up in his bed and began rubbing the sleep from his eyes he looked over at the clock and painfully realized that it wasn't even 6 yet, almost but not yet. Sai was still asleep in his bed and he couldn't hear movement coming from any of the rooms next door, which either meant he was the only one awake, or they were being extremely quiet. With a groan he laid back down, hoping sleep could once again over take him. However after a few minutes of futile attempts, he realized that he was already awake and sleep was no longer and option. Instead he resigned himself to staring out the window next to him. He marveled at the few early risers already on the street walking their dogs, jogging, or just on their way to work. It amazed him that people could actually get up so early of their own free will, but then again not everyone was Naruto. After a while he grew bored of watching them and simply closed his eyes to think.

_This is a really important mission, an S class. I've done S class missions before so I know I can handle it, but...there is a good chance I'__ll see Sasuke on this mission. What will I do if I see him? Will I have to fight him? I'm strong, but fighting him isn't what's bugging me, I know that. Its the fact that this mission isn't about him. My priority is the stone, and if it comes down to bringing Sasuke back, or saving the stone I'm inclined to choose the stone...but can I?_

Naruto sighed as he went over these thoughts in his head. Finally he couldn't take thinking about it any longer and jumped out of his bed, eager to just get the day over with. However, he was surprised to find that Sai was no longer in his bed.

_Huh. I didn't even hear him get up_. thought Naruto. As he walked out into the hallway, wearing his sweat pants and black T-shirt, he accidentally ran right into Sai who had been carrying a tray of food.

"Ahh watch where your going Sai!" Naruto yelled.

"I'm sorry baka but I was bringing us breakfast." Naruto blanched. It was true. He had been carrying two glasses of orange juice, which they were now soaked with, and two muffins, which were now lying on the floor.

"Oh um...sorry." Sai showed no signs of having heard him and continued to pick up the shards of glass and muffin pieces off the ground, after a second Naruto decided to help. After everything was picked up they stood together in awkward silence.

"What are we going to eat now?" Sai asked. Naruto was thoughtful for a moment and then brightened as he had a thought.

"I brought a lot of instant cup ramen with me. We could eat some of that." Even though Sai was completely new at the whole having emotions and reading others' emotions, and not taking everything literally, basically new with social interaction, he had known Naruto long enough to know that him offering someone his cup ramen was a BIG deal. It was his form of showing friendship. And Sai was in no position to pass up a sign of friendship, even if he didn't particularly love ramen. So he nodded his assent. "Great!" ,exclaimed Naruto, "I'll go get some hot water from down stairs, you get the ramen cups out of my bag. Then we can get ready to meet up with everyone in Kakashi-sensei and Yamato-taichou's room" and then he ran off leaving Sai alone in the hallway. He sighed and reentered their room, shutting the door behind him.

Sai decided he would get ready first, then search for the ramen. He figured he would have time, it was Naruto after all, especially since the blonde idiot hadn't even bothered to ask him where the kitchen was and he was bound to get lost. After Sai had "freshened up" he set to finding his desired target. However that was easier said than done seeing as how Naruto's bag looked as if it had exploded its contents out onto the floor next to Naruto's bed. As he bent down to search under the bed his hand came upon more than cup ramen. Next to their soon to be breakfasts was a single photo frame. Sai pulled it out, along with the ramen, and began to observe it. It was a photo, taken of Naruto, Sakura, Kakashi-sensei, and Sasuke back when they were known as team 7.

"What you looking at?" startled by Naruto's sudden appearance Sai dropped the photograph where it shattered on the floor. "huh?" Naruto put down the pitcher of steaming water and bent down to pick up the broken frame.

"Gomen-nasai Naruto. I didn't mean to look at your things or drop it." Naruto merely stared at the picture in his hands lovingly and after a moment turned to Sai.

"Its ok. Its no big deal. You didn't ruin the picture, just the frame. Do you mind if I put it inside your picture book? I don't want it to get ruined." Sai nodded and went to fetch his book. After carefully placing it in the book and returning it to its place in Sai's bag Naruto began filling the cups with water.

"It means a lot to you doesn't it?" Naruto looked up,

"What does?" "That picture. It means a lot to you." Naruto looked down smiling.

"Ya it does." but when Sai continued to look slightly confused, probably trying figure out exactly why, Naruto went on, "its just a nice reminder of the good old days, you know? A nice memory to have."

"Why did you bring it with you?" Naruto hesitated. _Why did he bring it with him?_ Then after a moment he came up with an answer.

"I think maybe to give me strength. To remind me why I fight and why I need to win." Sai nodded and they began to eat their ramen in silence. After their tummies were sufficiently full, Sai left Naruto to get ready. When he had finished showering Naruto proceeded to dress slowly, thinking about what he had told Sai. He hadn't actually thought twice about packing the photograph, he just had. But after having to think about it, he realized he had packed it for a reason. But the reason he gave hadn't been the whole reason, it was true, just not the whole truth. He had brought it as a sort of safety net. Naruto would never admit it to anyone, but he was scared of failing. He was afraid of not being able to keep his promise, and of ruining the mission because he let his emotions get in the way. The picture was to remind him that even though it would be hard, he had to forget Sasuke for now and focus at the task at hand, because if he ever wanted things to be back to the way they were in the picture, he couldn't fail this mission. He sighed as he finished dressing and stared out the window again, not really seeing. _Today's going to be a rough day_ he thought as he went to join the others.

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"Naruto, its good of you to finally join us. I was about to send Sakura to go get you." Naruto laughed nervously at the Devilish smile Sakura gave him.

"Its ok Yamato-taichou, I'm here." Yamato nodded and Kakashi took it from there.

"Ok seeing as how we're starting from scratch I'll first ask the all important question, you all do know what the philosophers stone is right?" his response were three blank stares. Kakashi sighed. "I thought you all told Tsunade-sama you knew what it was."

"Technically," answered Sakura, "we told her we'd heard of it. We never said we knew what it was."

"Well the philosophers stone is an incredibly powerful substance. It has the ability to grant eternal life, raise the dead, among other things. However the steps needed to produce the stone are unknown which means Orochimaru will probably be searching for that method as well as the stone itself, in case he needs to create one for himself."

"Exactly. So in order to cover more ground we should split up and meet back here at a certain time." supplied Yamato, Kakashi nodded.

"There are a few locations where we have a greater chance of finding something out. They are the central library, the military headquarters, and the two working military facilities in town."

"Kakashi-sensei, let me check out the military headquarters. Its the biggest out of all the buildings and it would take the rest of you hours to scout it all out. I can do it a lot quicker alone with some kage bunshins."

"Naruto you can't just let 100 bunshins run around, it would definitely draw suspicion if a bunch of the same person were seen."

"I know that Sakura-Chan. But I can just put a transformation jutsu over all of them so they all look different. I'm also the only one with enough chakra to keep up both the transformation jutsu and the bunshins."

"Naruto you do realize that the military H.Q. is probably going to be the most dangerous location to scout?" Naruto merely grinned, his previous image of seriousness gone.

"Don't worry Kakashi sensei, I can take care of myself, I'll be fine." Sakura looked hesitant to allow Naruto to search by himself but before she could voice a complaint Kakashi agreed.

"All right, Naruto will scout the military H.Q., Sai, Sakura you two scout the library, and I'll scout one of the military facilities while Yamato takes the other." Everyone nodded at their assignments. "We should all meet back here at noon, regardless of what we have or haven't found. Ill give you each the maximum of half an hour to be late. If you aren't here by 12:30 I'll assume that you're in danger and we'll go searching for you, understood?" everyone nodded.

"We should all probably use a henge to disguise ourselves, after all, we are supposed to be undercover."

"Right!" yelled Naruto as he vehemently agreed with Sai. Sakura couldn't help but smile at Naruto's antics, while everyone else merely sighed.

"Ok everyone, disperse. And good luck." And with that they all disappeared, to each their own path.

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The sun's yellow rays danced across his face as they warmed him after his long and perilous journey. Finally he was back. Suddenly a light breeze blew past, ruffling his golden locks and bringing with it a delicious, long forgotten scent. Intrigued by the smell he followed it up a long drive way, up a small porch, through the door, and into a cozy little kitchen where the smell was most potent.

"Edward, you're home!" exclaimed a tall beautiful girl. She had porcelain like features as well as big baby blues that were shining with excitement, and long platinum blonde hair. She was wearing a white tang top along with a black mini skirt and a pink apron, smiling happily at him.

"Hi Winry," he replied rather dazed.

"Well sit down already!" she said with mock impatience, "I made your favorite, stu." At the mention of stu, Ed hurriedly made his way to his seat, wondering all the while what could have brought on such a kind response from Winry. He couldn't help but lick his lips as she set the steaming bowl of stu before him, and proceeded to dig in with vigor. After all, he hadn't had stu in so long he'd almost forgotten what it tasted like. As he ate, Winry happily watched him, smiling all the while. Then when Ed finished she got up and removed his bowl. As Ed sat contentedly he suddenly felt Winry start to trace the back of his neck with two fingers, her warm breath on his neck. Slowly she inched closer to him until her breath was hot by his ear, and she whispered, "Welcome home Ed." A light blush crept its way onto his features as he turned to face her. He could feel his heart racing as she gently brushed her rosy lips against his. He was just about to kiss her, all the while taking note of the scent her strawberry shampoo gave off, when,

"Ed," startled, he opened his eyes, not even realizing that he had closed them, and stared at Winry. She was looking at him curiously. "Ed," there it was again, and suddenly it seemed as if Winry was beginning to fade away.

"Winry!" he grappled to try and hold on to her, but she continued to disappear,

"Ed wake up!" his eyes snapped open only to stare up and find Al looking down at him, a faint blush still kissing his cheeks.

"What?" he asked, rather aggravated that Al had forced him out of his dream.

"We have to be at H.Q. at 8 and its 7:30." Ed exhaled dramatically before once again flopping down on his pillow.

"Remind me again why we still have to report to Mustang?"

"Brother, you know we always have to report to H.Q. unless we're out researching. Besides you should be sad that today is our last day reporting to Mustang, after today we have to report straight to the Furher."

"Right, right." Al looked at Ed skeptically, well as skeptically a look as he could give, something was off.

"What were you dreaming about Ed?"

"Hm?" Al's question had caught him off guard.

"Your dream? You said Winry, and you were blushing." his eyes widened in fear, _had he really spoken out loud?_

"What are you talking about Al? I do NOT blush."

"Ya ok sure you don't. But then why did you say Winry in your sleep?"

"Because I dreamt she murdered me, ok?!" _Sure you did, brother_.

"Ok, whatever you say." Ed scowled in defeat and resigned himself to ignoring Al for the rest of the day.

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Naruto strutted confidently down one of H.Q.'s many hallways, his large hands tucked into the pockets of the enormous man he was impersonating. Where ever he went people seemed to shirk away in fear of being noticed by his large imposing form, and if they were spotted they would salute him respectfully before rushing away. Yes Naruto was sure he made a very good choice in who he henged into. This man was obviously very powerful, and the more power he held, the easier it would be for him to the get information he needed out of people later.

~ Flashback ~

Birds chirped merrily as he carefully observed the people coming in and out of the huge building before him from his crouched position in a large oak tree. Central H.Q. was definitely not a disappointment, in fact it far surpassed any of Naruto's previous conceptions of what the country's capital would be like. Its huge white marble walls seemed to tower over the city in a way that, creepily enough, made him feel as though 'big brother' was keeping watch over all of its inhabitants' movements. He had been surveying the area for a while now, and had already sent several henged clones into the building. However he could tell that none of his disguises had been particularly notable people. For himself he wanted someone a little higher up, someone that would make information gathering simple. Much to his dismay, he hadn't seen anyone who seemed to fit the bill.

"Good morning Robs, Gordon!!" The loudness of the voice caught Naruto's attention. The man who had spoken was arguably one of the tallest people Naruto had ever seen and easily towered over the two guards to whom he was referring. What Naruto thought most interesting, however, was the way the two guards noticeably paled at the sight of the nearly bald man with sparkles crowning his head.

"Um, good morning major." Replied one (though whether he was Robs or Gordon, Naruto wasn't sure) as they both saluted.

"Are you going out on assignment?" asked the other guard.

"Why yes! Our esteemed Furher has assigned me to a most interesting mission. Though rest assured that I shall be fine and shall complete my mission with relative ease after all, how could anyone stand up to the perfection that are my well toned muscles?!!" Naruto couldn't help but chuckle at the reproachful look the former guard gave his companion for even asking. The second guard smiled sheepishly at his friend's glare and in an attempt to save them answered the major's declaration.

"Of course no one could, well we'll be seeing you major Armstrong."

"Indeed you shall!! I will return soon, and fear not I will recount every detail to you both!" And with that last proclamation, he was off. Naruto smiled, he had just found his henge.

~ End of flashback ~

He was nearing the office of a man that, according to the guy he had just tricked into spilling all he knew with threats of telling everyone he fantasized about Armstrong's muscles, had information on the philosophers stone. The man's name was evidently Colonel Mustang. The soldier had told him that he had heard rumors that the Colonel and one of his subordinates had been looking into the stone for many years now, however he didn't know much and could tell Naruto no more on the subject. He needed desperately to speak with this Colonel. Nevertheless, he wasn't exactly sure how to go about it. He knew next to nothing about military standings, but he was vaguely certain that Colonel was higher up than Major. He would have to approach this carefully.

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"Briggs you say?" Roy was searching for any signs of a jest or of uncertainty, but could find none in Ed's steely gaze.

"Yes. We ran into the major shortly after we arrived and he said he forgot to mention to us that he had a sister up north who might be able to help, or at least point us in the right direction. He said he could write us a letter of introduction if we wanted."

"Plus Scar has been sighted in the north and there are a few things we need to discuss with him. Briggs is the only option we really have at the moment." Roy turned his gaze to the tallest, and youngest of the group. It was the first time Al had spoken since arriving. Roy sighed, they had no idea what they would be getting themselves into up north. Briggs was nothing like central.

"First of all a letter of introduction would do nothing to help your cause. General Olivier Armstrong is nothing like her younger brother. She's a ruthless leader who's more likely to lock you up than anything else. And the conditions up north are nothing short of Olivier's personality; harsh and unforgiving. You'll be lucky if you even make it there without frostbite, Fullmetal. Secondly, finding Scar is about one of the most dangerous things you could do. Who knows if he'll even give you the chance to speak before he tries to kill you?"

"He will." declared Al. Roy was surprised, he would never have expected Al of all people to vouch for Scar.

"And how do you know this?" he questioned,

"I spoke with scar while we were underground fighting the chimeras and homunculi. Ed told him the truth about Ishbal, he's confused, and I'm sure he'll hear us out. I don't guarantee that there won't be a fight, but I know he'll at least listen." Roy nodded. _It__ seems they've thought this through,_

"Very well, I suppose I can't stop you, and in any case, I agree that its you're only real option at the moment. I'll authorize it." Ed grinned,

"Thanks Mustang. Oh and, try not to get yourself killed while we're gone, it'd be really annoying to come back and find you six feet under."

"I could say the same Edward." _Cheeky brat._ Ed's grin merely widened, and Al sighed,

"Thank you Colonel." As they turned to leave a knocking was heard,

"Come in." replied Roy. As the door opened there stood major Armstrong. "Oh, hello major. What can I do for you?" Roy asked, wondering what the major could have to say that was worth him jeopardizing the mission. After all, it was a big risk to be alone with Ed and Roy, they could get caught.

"Hey major." Ed and Al stated leisurely.

"Greetings! I merely wished to converse with the colonel about something."

"I thought you had an assignment major?" asked Ed.

"Hoho yes, and what a splendid assignment it was. However it was nothing that me and my perfect physique couldn't handle!!" the two Elrics and Mustang sweat dropped at the majors boasting but were otherwise unaffected, they were somewhat accustomed to it.

"Well major, what is it that you wished to discuss?" Armstrong looked momentarily hesitant, his eye nervously darting towards Edward and Alfonse before once again returning to normal. The action was not missed by Roy.

"Would it be alright if we spoke privately?" This action surprised Roy like none other had. _Its unlike the major to deliberately keep Ed and Al out of the loop. If he ever has to tell me something he doesn't want them to know, he's sure to do it when they're not present._ Roy looked over to catch Ed's knowing glance, _It seems he noticed as well._ Roy inclined his head ever so slightly for Ed to see. Something was up.

"Of course, Edward, Alfonse. Would you mind allowing the major and I to speak?"

"Nah its fine, we were leaving anyway, huh Al?" _The kids a good actor,_ acknowledged Roy.

"Right brother. See ya major, colonel."

"Oh one last thing," called Edward, "Major could you tell us the name of your sister? I know your writing us the letter, but well it would be nice if we new what to address her as." Roy had been carefully watching the major's face for a reaction since he felt something was off. He had a good poker face, but Roy had a lot of experience reading people and did not miss the fleeting expression of horror and realization that passed over Armstrong's face. A quick glance at Ed and the two Elrics sprung into action.

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The question had caught him off guard. It seemed this kid was more observant than Naruto had given him credit for. He realized his mistake of course. He had played his part to a tea, all until he asked to speak alone with the Colonel. He had obviously underestimated the boy's importance since he was unaccustomed to being excluded from conversations. However Naruto wasn't a ninja for nothing. He had anticipated their suspicions and had, as a precaution, listened in on their conversation. He had no idea what the majority of it had been about, but had been able to hear the name of the majors sister and knew all about the letter he was supposed to write to the boys. Therefore he was fully prepared to answer the question. No it had not been this "Edward's" prying that had been his undoing, it had been his own. A sudden memory from one of his kage bunshins had momentarily shocked him.

~ Flashback ~

Naruto's bunshin, in the form of a mousy brunette man, had been walking around for hours now and was frustrated to no end. He had yet to acquire any useful information on the philosophers stone and was sure his streak was not over. It was while he was going over these thoughts that he stumbled upon possibly invaluable information.

"Are you sure about that?"

"The all seeing eye doesn't miss much, Greed." There was a small scoff, made by the owner of the former voice before a new one spoke.

"So someone has been asking about the philosophers stone, eh?" There was a no response, which Naruto took as a sign that the man whom the latter voice addressed had merely nodded. The first voice, Greed, spoke again,

"Has father given any directions as to how we are supposed to deal with them?"

"Yes," replied the second voice, "we are to dissuade him from his quest, and depending on how much he knows, we kill him." Naruto's eyes widened, just who were these people? They obviously knew a lot about the stone but were also willing to kill to keep others from discovering its secrets.

"Does this interloper have anything to do with the annoying blond one my body's former occupant knew?" a chuckling could be heard,

"You mean the fullmetal pipsqueak and his tin can of a brother? I don't think even they would be stupid enough to go around H.Q. asking about the stone. They've been searching for it for three yrs now, there's nothing in central that will point them somewhere they haven't already been. Well except for Marcoh." Sneered the 3rd voice,

"Marcoh was killed by scar."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that Wrath. It seems more likely that Scar kidnapped Marcoh, probably in an attempt to procure some answers, or just because he felt the need to prolong Marcoh's sufferings, after all it would have been more merciful to have just killed him." Naruto was thoroughly confused but continued listening with rapt attention nonetheless, he could tell this was an important conversation,

"The Elrics will be headed north then, after scar?"

"Presumably yes, though it would be best if we could keep them under our watch, here in central it would be a much simpler job. Plus, it would be troublesome if they were to discover Sloth. The two of them are difficult enough as it is without them finding out the extent of our plans for Ametris."

"Things would be easier if we were just allowed to kill them."

"I agree but they are two very important sacrifices. We must keep them well until the promised day."

"Anyway, get to the point Wrath."

"Very well, one of you take care of the intruder. Once we eliminate that we can focus on other matters." However, Naruto never heard a response, footsteps were approaching the door and he could not be caught. As the steps grew closer the bunshin released itself, disappearing into oblivion, its memories immediately transferring into the original Naruto.

~ End of flashback ~

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Ed had to admit, he was slightly ashamed of their little brigade. He had known that the homunculi practically had eyes in the back of their heads but for their plans to be discovered this quickly was just ridiculous and down right embarrassing! And on top of it all, now he was going to have to fight Envy and his smug little grin.

"Great," he murmured sarcastically as he and Al lunged at the Armstrong imposter, both with every intention of costing the number one most annoying homunculus one of his lives. However before either of their clenched fists could make contact, the pseudo major jumped lithely away landing in a graceful crouch a few feet away, a pose that, if the situation wasn't so completely serious, would have made Ed roar in laughter; lithe and poise were concepts completely alien to the major's bulky form.

"Wait! I don't want to fight!" Ed scoffed at that declaration,

"Ya sure. What game are you playing Envy?" Confusion clouded 'Armstrong's' features,

"What are..." However his statement went unfinished as Ed charged again, Al hot on his heels. Ed quickly clapped his hands together and created his signature arm blade, his intended target; the spot where Envy's heart would be if the bastard had one. But, once again, the 'major' ducked out of his reach. Infuriated Ed threw punches, kicks, jabs, and swipes at the imposter, all while Al released his own onslaught from behind. Not a single blow landed, however, as he blocked, dodged, and parried every blow that came his way. It looked as if he were performing some sort of intricate dance, one that Ed couldn't keep up with for the life of him. The fight, if you could really call it that, was greatly disconcerting to Ed. Not that he was really surprised Envy was too fast for him, he'd actually never really won against the palm tree look alike, but the fact that Envy had not thrown a single punch or kick and had actually never even attempted to go on the offensive was extremely suspicious.

"Move!!!!" Ed didn't need Roy to tell him twice, he was actually wondering when the hell the lazy colonel would jump into the fray. Ed leapt out of the way, along with Al who was also smart enough to not hesitate, as Roy released a small controlled flame aimed at 'Envy'. The attack was completely uncalled for and only a split second reaction kept 'Envy' from being fried to a crisp. The resulting blow, however, was enough to throw him into the desk at the far right of the room. The crash caused several items to fall on top of him before a poof was heard and the 'Major's' head disappeared from view among the clutter.

"Nice one colonel!" called Al,

"Eh it was all right, but sheesh what a show off." Ed had to mock Roy it was just their thing, he couldn't admit that the colonel had done a good job, no matter what. Roy of course couldn't help but smirk at his handy work and Ed's sly practically invisible acknowledgement of his job well done. But kidding was put aside as Ed confidently strode towards the pile of clutter in order to demand Envy give them an answer as to how they found out about their plans so quickly and also to inquire about his strange behavior during their little scrimmage. However, what Ed's automail arm pulled out of the small wreckage was not Envy's usual form. The shirt clutched in his hand was of a boy no older than himself. The disoriented youth possessed bright spiky blonde hair, deep azure colored eyes and strange whisker markings on each cheek, a boy he vaguely remembered seeing the night before when Roy had given that silver haired man directions. Ed's momentary hesitation seemed to have been enough time for the boy to recover himself as he suddenly jumped to him feet, yanking Ed up from his crouching position.

"What the hell? Get your hands off me kid!" the boy exclaimed. Ed was completely shocked, a feeling shared by both Roy and Al.

"You're not Envy..." Ed managed to choke out after releasing the boy's orange jacket.

"You're right fullmetal shrimp, that yellow haired brat is most definitely NOT me," the newly present Envy sneered from his position at the doorway, "but why don't we find out just who he is."

DUN DUN DUN DUN!!!!! lol Did ya like the cliffy? I hope you did cuz it took me a LONG time to finish up this chapter lol, i just couldn't seem to be satisfied by it, even now i'm not satisfied but i figured it was about time i posted it. Anyway i wanted to warn you that the next chapter will not be coming out a a while. As you can possibly tell theres going to be a fight scene in the next chap and im TERRIBLE at fight scenes, not that ive ever really written one but still. Anyway as such ive really been dreading writing the next chap and have as of yet not started. Also my incredibly long list of summer assignments combined with SAT prep classes, extra classes at E.L.A.C., volunteering, and my ongoing job hunt will be keeping me busy and prevent me from posting anytime soon. I apologize but I promise to have the chap posted as soon as i can. Gracias soooooo much for your patience.

Also THANK YOU SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH TO ALL MY REVIEWERS!!!! You guys have no idea how much i love and enjoy your reviews! They brighten up my day and make me soo happy!! as such i have decided to reward you guys! To my 15th reviewer i will grant any request they have! Ex. A scene they would like to see happen in the story, a pairing they would like to see, a character they would like to appear or a character they would like to see more of, an omake, etc etc. All requests will be granted so long as i deem them reasonable and they fit in with the story, if i can't work in your request i will of course take continue to take them until i can work it in. Ex. if you ask me to throw Ichigo from bleach into the mix that is obviously not going to happen. Also even throwing in Gaara would be hard becuz he isn't involved with anything that was going on during the time. (Though i was soooo glad to see him again in this last chapter! I Gaara!!) i hope thats a little incentive for you guys! plus It'll be fun for me! So lets get up the count to 15!! WHOO! lol So as always, PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!

~L


	6. Chapter 5

Ok so i have like a million and one excuses for why this chapter is so late, some of them are legit, some not so much. Either way i doubt you want to waste time listening to them so why don't we just get right to the chapter, neh?

Also, our 15th reviewer was dreamerlisa12! so congrats! please leave me a review telling me what your request is and i'll let you know how i can work it in!

OK so the next reviewer to get a request will be reviewer 20! lets see who the lucky person will be! lol

* * *

Row after row of books greeted Sakura and Sai upon their arrival at Central's state alchemist library. While, on any other occasion, seeing so many books would have had Sakura dizzy with excitement, now she only felt a gnawing anxiousness in the pit of her stomach. Searching book after book with Sai did nothing to beat back the growing feeling of dread threatening to overwhelm her. She had been hesitant to allow Naruto to go off searching by himself, especially if he was searching the most dangerous location alone. However, she did not want Naruto to think that she didn't believe in him, because that most certainly was not the reason, and as a result had not voiced her objection; the situation could not be helped. And yet, even now as she continued to absentmindedly search books while a kage bunshin of hers eavesdropped on the employees, Naruto had at least taught her the value of a good bunshin, though she couldn't produce more than five at once, she felt her worry for Naruto rise. She couldn't exactly explain why, but she had a feeling that Naruto was in trouble, after all it wasn't that far fetched of an idea. She had no idea how right she was.

* * *

Naruto recognized the new comer almost immediately, not by name or appearance, but by the mockingly sinister sound of his voice, the same unnamed voice his clone had heard earlier. It was hard to believe that this puny kid could be emanating so much bloodlust, his appearance was just too strange to take seriously. However, Naruto knew immediately that he couldn't underestimate this "Envy" the unnerving feeling he got around him was like an intensified version of the constant bad vibes he had been receiving since arriving in Ametris. There was obviously something wrong with the country and this Envy was part of the problem, of this Naruto was sure.

"So how bout it twerp, who the hell are you? And what's your in interest in the philosophers stone?" While Naruto knew that envy had, for the most part, asked him of his purpose in searching for the stone merely to gauge a reaction from him, he couldn't help but release an amused snort after sneaking a peek at the expressions of the Colonel and the Edward boy; a reaction that was sure to confuse poor old envy. "Do you think somethings funny brat?" Envy asked, annoyed that Naruto didn't seem to be taking him seriously.

"Hmm? Oh no, nothing at all." responded Naruto lightly, "I was just thinking that if those two over there keep their mouths open any longer flies will lay eggs in there." Apparently being insulted was all it took for the two hot headed alchemists to snap back to attention as both immediately shut their mouths with an audible click.

"Oh and to answer your first question, who I am and what I do are my own business, so if you'll just cough up whatever information you have on the stone, that goes for you three too, i'll be on my way." Naruto said cheerily, though a slight edge was evident in his voice. He was digging himself into a hole, and he knew it. These people did not seem like the type who would simply agree to his requests, especially when he was so obviously trying to threaten them. In fact, from what he had seen so far, they were more likely to attack him on the spot. He was not disappointed.

"Like hell we will!" He heard the Edward kid shout.

"I was really hoping you'd say otherwise, so I'll give you another chance. What do you know about the philosopher's stone?" However, no sooner had the words left his mouth than he was already barely ducking under Envy's swift hound house kick, apparently Envy had already tired of the conversation, oh well. Dropping down he swiped his leg out, intending to take Envy's legs out from under him. However, the homunculus managed to jump above his attack and flip a few feet away.

"You're quick kid, I'll give you that. But I'm afraid you're not going to leave here alive." The way the green haired boy said that made Naruto think he actually wasn't very sorry that he was going to have to kill him.

"Hey Envy hold on a second," again the Edward boy, "don't kill him. We can just interrogate him to see what he wants with the stone."

"Sorry brat but the orders come straight from Father, anyone snooping through things that don't concern them gets the ax, you of all people should know that." Naruto noticed that at Envy's last comment a determined and angry look overtook the Colonel while the two Elrics seemed extremely guilty.

_So someone they knew must've gained a little too much info and was taken care of...interesting._

"Envy," began the tallest of the two Elrics, however he was swiftly cut off by his older brother.

"Listen here you homunculus bastard! You don't have the right to decide what lives you can afford to just throw away and which ones would be in your benefit to protect! Humans are more than your playthings!" A cold and sinister sneer slowly crept its way onto Envy's face; he responded with a voice just as chilling as his features:

"We'll just see about that." Faster than anyone could see, or react, because Naruto did see, Envy pounced at Naruto; all the fury and anger he'd accumulated in all his years used to power the force of his blow. His fist connected squarely with the side of Naruto's head, lifting him off the ground and sending him reeling, right into the opposite wall, crumbling it. His thoughts were muddled, he couldn't see clearly and everything was in a sort of haze.

"...concussion...sleep..." Distantly he was aware of the fact that Edward had engaged Envy, that Al and the Colonel were bent in front of him, and that they continued to speak to him, trying to knock him out of his stupor. But he just couldn't seem to concentrate on any of it long enough to understand.

"Impossible...should have killed..." He could feel a warm liquid running down his face and pooling around him, but wasn't really sure what it could be. It was becoming harder to keep his eyes open; he was losing consciousness and the murky depths were closing in on him, but for some reason, he couldn't bring himself to care. It would be so easy to just give in, so much easier...drip, drip, drip. The scenery changed, and suddenly everything was clear again. He was standing in front of the Kyuubi's cage, a sign meaning he had passed out.

"Why the 4th Hokage chose you of all the weaklings in that village to seal me in, I'll never know. You would be dead right now had I not stepped in. You need it. Use my power and I promise you, you will not lose again."

"Shut up! I'm not in the mood to deal with you right now you overgrown fox!" Naruto was seething, he couldn't believe he had almost given up, almost died, almost not fulfilled his promise; the thought was infuriating.

"You think you stand a chance by yourself? He's already beaten you once, what makes you think you can win without me?"

"I can win! You don't know what I'm capable of bastard!" the kyuubi snorted in frustrated amusement at that,

"I know exactly what you're capable of boy, and I also know that you're not the only one with a secret power."

"Huh?"

"This Envy, he is not normal, not even human. An evil power lies within him, and I can sense he is not hesitant to use it, the way you are. You won't win without me." The kyuubi finished smugly, however when Naruto looked up, there was not the unsure pleading look he expected to see, the one he usually received when Naruto gave up and asked for power. Instead the kyuubi stared on into Naruto's thoughtful and determined eyes. If there was anything Naruto hated, it was someone doubting him.

"We'll just see about that," he quoted. The kyuubi growled in anger at Naruto's response. However, his growl was in vain; there was no one there to hear it. And suddenly, the pain came all at once with such a surprising clarity that he immediately missed the fog that had previously clouded his mind.

"Hey! Stay with me kid! Wake up! Can you hear me?"

"Ugh, ya stop yelling." Naruto grumbled as he once again opened his eyes to the scene in front of him.

"We thought you'd died!" he heard the tallest Elric, Al if he remembered correctly, say.

"Ya well, I think I did die for a second." He noticed the Colonel's brow furrow at that statement but he spoke as if Naruto had said nothing,

"You have a severe concussion and a massive head wound that until a minute ago was bleeding profusely. You lost a lot of blood kid. How the hell are you still alive? That blow should have left you brain dead at the very least."

"Heh, guess I'm just lucky huh?" Naruto replied sheepishly. Roy's skepticism, however, was cast aside as they heard a crash and Ed cry out in muffled pain.

"Brother!" Al screamed worriedly. Envy had managed to pin Ed to the wall and was holding him up by his neck; their scuffle's victor had been decided.

"I'm not allowed to kill you, but I doubt Father would object much to just a little bit of bodily harm, hm? They'll probably get you to the hospital before you die of blood loss anyway." Envy snickered, right before his arm transformed into the long blade he planned to plunge into Ed's shoulder.

* * *

_ Oh Shit, oh shit, oh shit_. Ed thought as he watched Envy's arm transform. He heard Al scream and could, from the corner of his eye, see the Colonel crouched in front of the now conscious blond kid, along with Al. The latter, he could tell, was about to clap his hands in vain hopes of saving him. However, he knew whatever transmutation Al had in mind wouldn't reach him in time. Ed closed his eyes as Envy thrust out, trying with no avail to ready himself for the pain. He heard the ripping of flesh and Envy gasp, but the pain never came. What he saw in front of him was definitely something no one had expected to see. Somehow the blond kid had made it across the room in time to stop Envy's blade, with his bare hand no less.

"I thought you were dead brat," Envy growled out.

"I don't die so easily," he heard the boy reply with steadfast determination. It was then that Ed noticed the massive ball of swirling energy he was holding in his other hand. Without a moments hesitation he plunged the swirling mass right into Envy's stomach, sending him crashing through the opposite wall and out of sight.

"Are you ok?" the boy asked him.

"Forget about me, I've had worse, what about you? Are you stupid? Who freaking stops a blade with their bare hand, he practically sliced it in half!"

"Hey, if you would rather I let him kill you, then I'm sorry, if not, then shut up and stop complaining! Jeez, ungrateful brat..."

Ed huffed in annoyance, _this idiot may have saved his life this time but he was bound to get them killed in the long run, still, he did save his life..._

"Thank you"

"What?" the kid seemed surprised, _jeez did I really come off THAT ungrateful?_

"I said thank you. It may not have been the smartest way to save me, but you still saved me, so thanks," the kid smiled in a sort of sheepish way at that,

"You're welcome."

"You mind telling us your name?" Al suddenly said, Ed hadn't realized he had walked up to them, the Colonel was still observing from afar,

"Huh, oh yeah, Uzumaki Naruto."

"Naruto? Ok, I'm Alphonse Elric and that's my brother Edward, but we just go by Ed and Al."

"Ed and Al, cool. Well Ed and Al, look alive cuz that bastard is coming back, and he's madder than before," Naruto said before quickly pulling out some bandages and wrapping up his severely injured hand. Just as he was finishing, Envy appeared in the gaping hole in Roy's office wall (luckily the adjacent room was an empty conference room that was now used for storage so Envy didn't go smashing into someone else's office.)

"I don't know what the hell you did to me kid, but I got to hand it to you, that hurt like a bitch."

"Yeah, well the next one will do the trick, believe me," Ed heard Naruto reply next to him, "we have to draw the fight away from here," he continued at a lower volume as Envy struggled to fully extricate himself from the rubble, "this is going to get ugly and we can't risk destroying the whole floor and involving other people. How high up are we?"

Ed found this to be a random question, but responded nevertheless,

"Um like four or five floors I think." "Four or five, ok that's not too bad, its doable at least."

"What are you talki..."

"Just follow my lead," Naruto interjected, seeing as how Envy seemed about ready to attack once more.

"Are you finally ready for a real fight brats?" Envy asked,

"Bring it on bastard!" Naruto yelled out as he formed a single hand sign right in front of him,

Here we go, Ed thought, as he transmuted his arm into a blade and prepared to follow the lead of the morally ambiguous Naruto.

* * *

_ Ok this might be a little trickier to pull off than I'd originally thought_, Naruto mused as he dodged yet another kick from Envy. His initial attack had gone off without a hitch. He had formed a kage bunshin right behind Envy, which in turn kicked him with all its might straight in the back sending him flying right at them. The two Elrics had worked perfectly with each other, taking their opportunity and erecting a large thick slab of wall that Envy proceeded to slam into. He wasn't given time to recover, however, as Naruto chose that moment to begin the Naruto Rendan, though with a slight change. Instead of kicking Envy straight down the way he usually did when performing the Naruto Rendan, he kicked him as hard as he could towards the windows behind the colonel's upturned desk, however, Envy managed to right himself before he could smash into the floor and managed to land, albeit unsteadily, on his feet. The Elrics engaged him the moment he landed and from there the three had taken it in turns to fight Envy at close contact while also attacking from a distance. The Elrics had caught on to his plan, or at least part of it, rather quickly, and were now trying to push him towards the windows as well. Unfortunately, Envy had also caught on to their idea and was doing everything he could to keep them from moving him. He would side step attacks instead of blocking or attempting the offensive, the way he usually would, and would reposition himself putting whoever he was fighting between himself and the windows. The Colonel, who Naruto suspected specialized only in flame attacks, a viable reason as to why he wasn't helping out, was standing off to the side making sure no one tried to come too close to his now wrecked office. Fortunately the floor seemed to be quite vacant, a coincidence or a set up, Naruto wasn't yet sure. One thing he was sure of though, if he didn't hurry there would be no way he would be able to throw Envy off a 4 story drop before 12:00-that was in 5 minutes.

* * *

"They're late," Sakura announced for no one's benefit but her own. Yamato, Sai, and herself had all arrived at the forenamed meeting spot on time, Yamato having arrived 3 minutes before Sakura and Sai, and they were all now waiting for Kakashi and Naruto.

"Its only 12:17 Sakura," Yamato replied calmly, "Kakashi-sempai said we would wait until 12:30 before jumping to conclusions. Have patience." At the mention of patience Sai snorted quite loudly, apparently he was unable to contain his amusement at the idea of Sakura exerting patience,

"What was that Sai?" Sakura asked warningly,

"Nothing, I was just entertaining the idea of you actually being patient, Ugly," Sai replied, completely non pulsed by Sakura's mutinous glare.

"Calm down you too, I'm sure they'll be here soon," Yamato stated nervously, attempting to diffuse the oncoming argument and prevent Sakura's wrath from being unleashed.

"Yo."

"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura yelled at their new arrival, "You're late!" Kakashi proceeded to scratch the back of his head in a confused sort of way,

"Meh, Sakura, If anything you should be proud of me, I can't even remember the last time I showed up so close to the actual meeting time."

"Cheh, that's for sure," Sakura grumbled.

"Where's Naruto?" Kakashi asked, suddenly more alert and devoid of his previous airiness,

"He's not here yet," Sakura replied worriedly, like Kakashi she was no longer in a joking mood, "do you think he's in trouble?" Kakashi turned to look Sakura straight in the eye before answering, he didn't want to lie to her,

"Honestly, its possible. He was given the most dangerous location to scout out, but Naruto's strong. He'll be fine. He still has about 10 minutes left, let's just believe in him for now."

* * *

_ This is getting ridiculous_, Al mused as he aimed another punch at Envy. He had gotten wind of Naruto's plan rather quickly, as had Ed, and had thought it to be a pretty good idea. He had assumed they would be able to throw Envy out the window pretty quickly, after all it was four, well technically three, against one. However, he hadn't banked on how much more difficult it would be to fight in such a limited space. Fighting Envy was always difficult, but in such a cramped space neither he nor Ed, nor, he suspected Naruto, could unleash their most effective attacks, something which Envy was continuously taking advantage of. He hadn't even been putting up much of a fight, simply dodging and attempting to reverse their attempts to drop him out the window. He and Ed had managed to get in a few good shots, but neither of them were as fast as Envy, which was making it even harder to gain the upper hand, something which Al could tell was infuriating Ed. However, neither of them seemed as keen to take Envy out as Naruto. The guy, who coincidentally seemed to be the only one who could match Envy's speed-yet was still having a hard time getting him in the right position, seemed to be getting frantic and desperate to finish the fight. Al distantly wondered if he was late to meet someone... The thought left him, however, after Envy counterattacked suddenly, taking Al's head off and sending it crashing in the opposite direction.

_Damn!_ Al thought as he caught sight of Naruto. He had been in the middle of ambushing Envy from behind when his mouth dropped open and he stopped his attack midway while gaping at the now headless Al,

"What the freak! How did you...Where did your...What the hell is going on?" Naruto yelled, confused and, it seemed, slightly frightened, which was ironic because at the moment Naruto's bloodied face and blood matted, now orange looking, hair looked more frightening than Al did. However before Al could get out an explanation Envy took his opportunity and punched Naruto directly in the stomach, twisting his fist into it as he did so. Caught unawares, Naruto didn't have time to block and received the full blow, which sent him right into Ed who had been coming to their aid. The two crashed right into the wall and slid down painfully. However, before Envy could even look smugly back at him, Al had already grabbed him from behind, and slammed Envy onto the ground. He knew that being knocked into the wall wouldn't hurt Ed too badly, he would be fine, and come back with vengeance, and he was vaguely certain Naruto was just as stubborn and crazy as his brother, they would both be fine. However, he never took into consideration the idea that Naruto might be even crazier than Ed.

"That's it!" he heard Naruto scream from where he and Ed landed, "I don't know what the hell is going on here but I'm ending this right now!" Al watched as Naruto made a strange hand sign and before he knew it the entire room was filled with Narutos. In seconds the Narutos engulfed Envy, blocking him from view and muffling his screams.

"Your head," Startled, Al turned away from the sight to see Ed next to him, handing him his head, eyes glued to the scene in front of him.

"How is that possible brother?" Al asked while replacing his head and looking intently at Ed's face as he did so. Ed, took his time answering, and not once took his eyes off the crowd of Narutos struggling to contain Envy,

"Honestly Al, I have no idea. It doesn't follow any of the laws of alchemy, how can he make something without giving anything-let alone create several homunculi at once, all of whom are like clones of himself...it doesn't make any sense..." However, before the two could ponder it any further, Envy managed to free himself from the mob, destroying all of the clones in the process.

"So much for finishing.." but before Envy could even complete his retort the real Naruto released his henge (which was an upturned chair) and jumped right at Envy,

"Who said I was done?" Naruto yelled as he tackled the unsuspecting Envy right through the large glass windows and toppled off the building along with his target. Al gasped at the same moment he heard Ed scream,

"What the fuck!" next to him, "that idiot! Envy will survive that fall, he won't!"

"Come on," Al interrupted while running to the window. As the two approached the window they heard a familiar voice from below, "no way..."

"Swing faster!"

"You swing faster!"

"I am!"

"Will you both shut up and swing faster so I don't die!"

Al and Ed gaped open mouthed at what they were witnessing; what they could only assume was the real Naruto was dangling from a long string of clones leading up to one that was gripping onto a flagpole, and was swinging the makeshift "rope" for enough momentum to swing himself back into the building, and apparently yelling at them to do a better job of it.

"You're alive!" Al yelled down at them, relieved that he hadn't committed suicide in the hope of defeating Envy.

"Huh," Naruto looked up at Al's call and grinned, "of course I'm alive, did you honestly think I'd die by falling off a building, please that's so boring!"

"What the hell were you thinking you idiot!" Ed yelled down in response,

Naruto frowned but responded,

"I was thinking that fighting nicely wasn't getting us anywhere and simply tackling him out the window would be much quicker, and I was right. Now can we please continue this conversation when I'm not dangling off the side of a building?"

"oh right," Al said sheepishly, grabbing onto the clone "rope" as it swung past and steadily pulling the long string up.

* * *

"Thanks, but he's already gone" Naruto said once he was safely back in the Colonel's wrecked office.

"Yeah, I didn't think he'd stick around to finish the fight after that." Ed answered plainly,

"So you knew that wouldn't kill him?" Naruto asked,

"Huh? Yeah, its nearly impossible to kill Envy, he's not exactly human. It would take a lot more than that to do him in. And while we're on the subject of people who aren't human, what are you?"

"What?" Naruto asked, genuinely caught off guard by the question,

"Brother, don't..."

"Quiet Al, we need to know what he is, don't forget he's looking for the philosopher's stone, and no good can come of that."

Naruto narrowed his eyes and regarded them seriously for a moment, there was no point in debating with them the complexities of his situation as a jinchuuriki and whether or not because of it he was not completely human-there was no need to go into that. However, he needed to handle the situation carefully, they had information he needed and if he didn't gain their trust he wouldn't likely be getting it anytime soon.

"I don't know what kind of question that is but I'm obviously a human being."

"No human being can do the things you were doing," Ed noticed that suddenly Naruto's face became confused,

"What do you mean? Haven't you ever met a ninja before?"

This time it was Ed's turn to look confused,

"What are you talking about? Ninja don't exist, they're just made up stories for little kids."

"You're kidding me right? I knew things in the West were different than back home, but to not even know ninja exist...wow...well Edward and Alphonse Elric let me introduce you to Uzumaki Naruto, Ninja of Konoha." Ed looked skeptically at Naruto before answering,

"You expect me to believe you're a ninja?"

"How much do you remember about the ninja you heard about as a kid, Ed?" However, it was Al that answered,

"They use spiritual energy to fuel really powerful and unexplainable feats and are assassins for hire."

"That was pretty good," Naruto acknowledged, "the spiritual energy is actually called chakra and we use it for all of our attacks."

"So you're an assassin?" Ed asked, eyes narrowed,

"Yes and no. I've never actually been hired for that kind of mission, its not my style. I mostly get hired for search and rescue missions, or guard missions. But should I be assigned an assassination, I have the training to pull it off."

"And have you killed anyone before?" Naruto's eyes widened for a fraction of a second before responding,

"Yes, but only when it was absolutely necessary. I don't enjoy killing, but I'll do it if it means protecting my home and the people who are precious to me." Ed continued to stare at Naruto before finally relenting,

"I'm not saying I believe you're a ninja, but as long as you promise not to pose a danger to myself or my brother, then I guess you're ok for now."

Naruto nodded happily,

"Good. Though really I don't see why it freaked you out that much. I mean I've never seen anyone use it before but at least I knew that your Alkimy stuff existed, though I had no idea it could do any of the stuff you were doing."

"Its Alchemy," Al corrected, "and don't people practice it where you come from?"

"Um kind of. Alchemy kind of died out in the East, theres still a form of it that we use. Its called sealing, though there are very few sealing masters still around, its really complicated," here Naruto chuckled, "my master, he's one of the few sealing masters still around, tried to teach me a few years back but, haha I kind of gave up on it, sealing isn't really my thing."

"Yeah you don't really look like the alchemist sort," Ed stated bluntly,

"Thanks," Naruto responded sarcastically, "but seriously speaking, don't think you're the only ones with questions. What I saw, I have to wonder what exactly you are Alphonse, among other things." Naruto noticed how tense the two became but continued nonetheless, "listen, I was supposed to meet my teammates at noon and its 12:45 now."

"That's why you were in such a hurry," Al interrupted suddenly,

"Huh, yeah. See we set up a time and decided that if any of us weren't back by 12:30 then that meant something had gone wrong and we were in trouble,"

"Which is what happened to you," this time it was Ed who interrupted,

"Yes, but I handled it, however now they're going to be looking for me, which isn't good because they could run into that envy guy, or one of the other two he was conspiring with."

"Wait what other two?" asked Roy who had just reentered the room and apparently the conversation,

"I overheard a conversation between Envy and two others, I think they're names were Wrath and Greed, those names mean something to you," Naruto realized when he saw the looks on the Elrics' faces as well as the Colonel's,

"You can tell me about them later, right now you need to come with me to find my teammates. Then we can settle everything."

"And what if we don't want to go with you? What then?" Ed asked Naruto seriously, there was a hint of a challenge in his eyes as if he was daring Naruto to make them go.

"Then I won't force you to. I could knock you out and kidnap you, torture you and threaten you into telling me what I need to know, however I'm not exactly a fan of that way of handling things and therefore I have no way of making you come with me. However, you will come because I know you want to know what information I have as well as my purpose in searching for the stone as much as I want to know about the information you have. So am I going to have to wait until you finally admit to that, or can we just go?"

Ed and Al looked startled at Naruto's bold assumption but didn't respond. They merely looked at one another for a long while until finally Ed broke,

"Ok fine, we'll go with you, Colonel-"

"I'll stay here and think up an explanation for the state of my office. I'll expect a full report on everything found fullmetal!"

"Great I thought I was done writing reports for you," Ed grumbled before turning back to Naruto.

"Good, so guys, you ready to meet the team?" Naruto asked, a large grin plastered to his face. _This was going to be interesting._

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yay! so there you have it! the long, and i mean realllllyyyy long, awaited chapter is finally over! What did you think? i know it probably wasn't worth the wait, but at least its over with! lol please let me know what you think by leaving a review! Thank you and i promise that the next chapter will be out like a million times sooner than this one! so click that review button, you know you want to! ;D

~L


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